“It felt good to inherit the ‘Cinderella tradition’ where a new winner is born every year.”
Hwang Jung-mi, 24, said in a recent interview with E-Daily that she had one of her best years, winning her first championship on the Korean Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour last year. Hwang Jung-mi tasted the excitement of her first victory after her 3rd year on the tour and 65th regular tour event at the 11th KLPGA Tour KG Edaily Ladies Open (total prize money of 700 million won) in September of last year.
After her first win, there were many places to look for. She participated in the KLPGA Awards Ceremony for the first time, and she spent an eye-opening rain season with a new sponsor welcome ceremony, popular golf YouTube appearances, various photo shoots, and interviews. He smiled brightly, saying, “It’s the first time I’ve had such a busy off-season.”
On the last day of last year’s KG·Edaily Ladies Open, Hwang Jung-mi beat defending champion Kim Su-ji (27) and reached the top after an extended match in the third round. He said, “The word ‘winning’ felt really far away. She said, “The fact that she had such a hard time going before the seeding the year before was rather a medicine.” She added, “The KG Edaily Ladies Open, which gave me my first win, will be an unforgettable tournament in my life.”
Above all, Hwang Jung-mi explained that she had a happier season than ever before, receiving a lot of support from people who recognized her at the competition venue and received a lot of support through direct messages on social media.
This is not the only thing that has changed. The effect of the first championship last year was also noticeable. Companies are not opening their wallets wide due to the recent economic cold wave, and apparel companies are also frozen. Nonetheless, Hwang Jung-mi signed a new main sponsor contract with Pepper Savings Bank ahead of this season, and the down payment has tripled compared to last year. In addition, starting this season, he will wear clothes from Master Bunny, a new apparel company. He pledged, “The situation in the golf world is not good these days, but I have sponsors who believe in me and support me, so I think I need to do better.” At the beginning of this month, they went to Hawaii for team training for six days and five nights for a welcome ceremony prepared by Pepper Savings Bank, the main sponsor. Hwang Jung-mi said, “The recharging for the new season is over. Now, there is only one thing left to do to make up for the regrettable points in winter training.”
In 2022, I was happy to win my first championship, but it is regrettable that I did not properly manage my physical strength in the second half. Due to continued participation in competitions, her stamina declined in the second half, and after her first win in September, she was eliminated from the cut five times in nine competitions. Hwang Jung-mi emphasized, “This season, I thought it was important to build a stamina that doesn’t get tired in the second half of the season through diet management, running, and weight training.” 바카라
In the field training that left for Vietnam on the 16th, he is intensively practicing short games and wedge shots inside 120m. After training in Vietnam for about 30 days, he plans to go to Laos to refine his short game. Hwang Jeong-mi said, “Although she won last year, she was not steady. Looking at her records, she has only made the top 10 four times,” she says. She also said that she is aiming for two wins as soon as possible,” she said.
In fact, Hwang Jeong-mi stood out early in golf, to the extent that she was selected as a national team member during her middle school days, but she did not show clear results on the professional stage. She turned pro in 2017, but she played the dream tour (part 2) for three years, and after finishing 2021, she was only ranked 65th in the money rankings, so she had to go to the ‘seed war in hell’. That’s why her winning performance last year was all the more valuable. He said, “I started playing golf at the age of 8 after following his golf-loving father to a driving range. These days, I feel grateful to my parents for letting me play golf,” he said with a laugh, then revealed, “There were difficult times, but thanks to that, I was able to become stronger, so all the time I spent playing golf is precious.”